The Insider’s Guide to Sardinia
Where to eat, drink, shop, and relax in the Puntaldia Peninsula on Sardinia’s breathtaking northeastern coast.
Sardinia, or Sardegna in Italian, is an ideal destination for a summer escape thanks to its crystalline blue waters, wild landscape, and unhurried pace of life. The second-largest Mediterranean island after Sicily, Sardinia’s way of living earned the island its Blue Zone status, thanks to a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, greens, and vegetables and its antioxidant-rich Cannonau wine.
This May, Delta introduced the first direct flight from the United States to Sardinia, departing from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and landing at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport operating four times a week through October. That means it’s even easier to fly to this unique area cradled by Spain, France, Italy, Tunisia, and Algeria.
If you’re in search of a summer holiday destination that’s more about relaxing on a beach than partying in crowded clubs until the early morning, the Puntaldia Peninsula on Sardinia’s northeastern coast offers a quieter alternative to the island’s flashier, jet-set hub, Costa Smeralda.
Who
This trio of women—they’re also friends—was practically born spending their summers in Sardinia. Carolina Fumagalli is a hotelier who has taken the helm of the coastal resort her grandfather founded; her family, behind one of Italy’s major home appliance brands, developed Puntaldia, including the Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf. Designer Teresa Maccapani Missoni’s grandparents, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni—founders of their namesake Italian knitwear brand—first bought property on the Puntaldia Peninsula in the 1980s. The family keeps three homes on the peninsula, and returns every summer. Designer, scientist, and engineer Isabella Von Lobkowicz came to Sardinia as a child, spending summers in Santa Teresa di Gallura “watching boats through binoculars and hearing wild boars rustling in the rocks” before Maccapani Missoni introduced her to Puntaldia a decade ago. She has returned every year since.
What
What to Bring
Fumagalli suggests packing “a good pair of friulane.”
“For the evenings, light summer dresses or caftans are perfect,” says Von Lobkowicz.
Plenty of swimsuits, a pareo, and sunglasses are also essential.
Where
Where to Stay
Situated on a coastal stretch of land just 30 minutes from OLB airport, the Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf, an SLH Hotel, has been a mainstay on the Puntaldia Peninsula since it opened in 1983, celebrated for being a place where both the sky and the sea are a deep shade of azure. Guests can play the nine-hole golf course seaside, laze the day away on its white-sand beach, and swim in crystal-clear waters or the swimming pool in the garden. “It’s a place based on friends and family, true connection, deep conversations, and interesting people,” says Fumagalli. There’s also plenty to do, with Padel and tennis courts in addition to the golf course and a bar that feels like a living room filled with magazines on the coffee tables.
For an extra special experience, book a stay in the Suite sulla Luna, designed by Maccapani Missoni, who filled it with pillows and furniture in a cheerful yellow. The friendly and welcoming atmosphere makes you feel like you’re in a close friend’s holiday villa.
Where to Eat
In the Piazzetta, Maccapani Missoni recommends Il Marino di Puntaldia. A bit further out in Porto San Paolo, she suggests Il Portolano on the beach. “You have a great view on Tavola Island,” says Maccapani Missoni. “[There’s a] sea bass with a potato crust, but then the pasta alle vongole is amazing. Anything you could order, it’s very good.” Von Lobkowicz advises eating at Portolano for lunch, “when everything feels quieter, almost suspended in time.”
For an idyllic meal, La Pischera in San Teodoro is worth the trip at any hour. “Behind the lagoon there is this place that looks like an all-white Greek taverna with flamingos inside,” says Fumagalli. “The fish is so fresh, the food is so good. It’s the most amazing place.” Maccapani Missoni agrees. “You can go for aperitivo; or they have breakfast until noon,” says the designer.
Where to Shop
Last year, Fumagalli opened Caraluna, a concept shop located within the Due Lune that’s designed to feel like a salotto (Italian for living room) for a customer, who is, as Fumagalli describes, “a conscious traveler who loves to carry beauty with her everywhere she goes.” The thoughtful selection features all the resortwear a woman can dream of, with romantic sundresses, whimsical handbags, charming jewelry, and sportswear from labels like Vibi Venezia, Manin Tailor Made, and Malbon Golf. “It is the perfect place for unexpected finds and vintage treasures,” says Von Lobkowicz.
This season, Caraluna introduced a capsule collection with Luisa Beccaria that’s covered in a lovely floral print. Fumagalli also collaborated with her friends at Cabana, the Italian interiors magazine and lifestyle platform, on a pop-up section in Caraluna, featuring Teresa Cercava (“Teresa was looking for” in English), a selection of vintage finds curated by Maccapani Missoni, including a ceramics collection she developed featuring the work of Sardinian artisans, as well as her collection with Marina Rinaldi, which includes a fanciful navy crocheted handbag adorned with colorful beads.
For basics, Maccapani Missoni recommends Sigfrido, which carries labels like Hartford and Aspesi. “I’ve been shopping there since I was a child,” said Maccapani Missoni, who stocks up on Dries Van Noten T-shirts at the boutique, located in the Piazzetta. “They have beautiful brands.”
Where to Hit the Spa
The Due Lune’s spa is worth scheduling around. Fumagalli recommends the Mediterranean massage, performed with essential oils made from herbs grown in the hotel’s own garden like lavender and mirto.
Where to Grab an Al Fresco Drink
For a cocktail at sunset, Fumagalli favors the bar at the Due Lune “because we have good music. The sunset here, the terrace, and the wind, the sky—it’s amazing.”
Fumagalli and Maccapani Missoni also bring friends to Tavernetta Beach for a sunset aperitivo. “[It] has an incredible sunset that gets reflected on the water of the sea.” Fumagalli adds, “It’s like a chiringuito [a Spanish open-air beach bar] by the beach in front of Tabolara. Very chill, good music, and they serve sushi as well.”
Where to Go for a Beach Day
There are two main beaches on the Puntaldia Peninsula: La Cinta and Lu Impostu. La Cinta, a three-mile crescent-shaped stretch of beach with powdery white sand, is ideal for a long walk and for familes. “The water is shallow for at least 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet),” Fumagalli says. “It’s like having the Caribbean one hour away [by plane] from Milan.”
“We swim with the children over to Lu Impostu beach for an ice cream, or wander towards La Cinta to visit friends and search for crabs,” says Von Lobkowicz. “One of my favorite things is swimming through the narrow water channel to the more remote side of the beach. No matter the high season, you end up being practically alone there.”
Where to Go for a Day Trip
San Pantaleo, an authentic Sardinian village an hour inland from the peninsula in a mountain valley, has been there since the early 1800s. “It has this hippie vibe,” Maccapani Missoni explains. “You enjoy the shopping, and then you go for aperitivo, and you can actually see the beauty of the place.” There is a market every Thursday, as well as several boutiques worth browsing for resortwear; Foresta G makes all its prints in-house. For a stunning sunset view of the mountain landscape, head to the rooftop of Ristorante Agave for aperitivo. “The view, it looks like you’re on the moon,” Fumagalli adds.
A visit to Tavolara Island, accessible only by boat, is “essential” according to Von Lobkowicz. A shepherd named Giuseppe Bertoleoni once impressed King Carlo Alberto of Savoy so thoroughly that the king appointed him ruler of the island. The royal cemetery, where his descendants are buried, remains. “Climbing to the top is still on my bucket list,” says Von Lobkowicz, “but a visit to the graveyard is a must.” Maccapani Missoni describes the island as “a submerged dinosaur.”
When
April through October are the ideal months to travel to the Puntaldia Peninsula. Be mindful that Italians tend to holiday in August, so July and August will be the most crowded period in the summer. “It’s a place that is different from any other in Sardinia,” says Fumagalli. “They would say it’s quiet luxury, and it still has a very Italian allure to it.”
